Motor cooling system



Aug. 8, 1939. I co 2,169,121

MOTOR COOLING SYSTEM Filed Oct. 4, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jig. 1. I

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- MOTOR COOLING SYSTEM Filed (jt. 4, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g fiorfi lflo y V 3 yam Sno man;

Mata sa 3,1939

UNITED STATE PATENT. OFFICE MOTOR coonmc srsmu Dorlii H. Ooy', Jackson. Ohio Application October 4, 1937, 8crial No. 101,119 comma. (cll 123--1'I 4) This invention relates broadly to motor cooling systems. and is more particularly directed to motor cooling systems employing a liquid cooling medium, a heat dissipating radiator and a rotat- 5 able fan for causing the forced circulation of air through the latter. This type of cooling system is generally employed in motor vehicles and tractors and it is an obiect of the invention to improve the operation of the system, particularly It is an object of the invention to provide a fan for a motor c ling system, which is formed with adjustable bl des and thermally responsive in for automatically varying the pitch .of the blades. The pitch varying mechanism is controlled by the temperature of the water in m when the vehicles are used in cool or cold weather.

' the lower portion of the radiator where the temperature is lowest. This is highly desirable since it is a well known fact that the cooling medium at this point may be near a freezing temperature,

while in the water jacket, the temperature may behigh.

An objectof the invention also rests in the provisionbi means for assisting the circulation of the cooling medium which is operatively connected with the pitch varying mechanism whereby the speed and direction of circulation of the cooling medium is changed in accordance with changes in temperature of the radiator.

A further object of the invention resides in the employment of a collector and conduit for transferring air from the lower portion of the radiator where the temperature is lowest, to the vicinity of the thermally responsive mechanism.

Other objects will be apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the fan and cooperating mechanism formed in accordance with the present invention, the same being installed on a motor vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the plane indicated by the line lI-l1 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view 45 on the plane indicated by the line m-m of Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the plane indicated by the line Ill-IV of Fig. 2:

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the plane indicated by the line V-V of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the means for assisting the circulation of the cooling medium, the plane of the section s being indicated by the line VI-VI of Fig. 2;

Fig. '1 is a perspective view of a combined air collector and conduit used to transfer air from the lower portion of the radiator to the thermoresponsive mechanism; I

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the 5 direction of air and water flow when the lower portion of the radiator is at an extremely low temperature.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral i designates the radiator of a motor 10 cooling system and the numeral 2, the motor to which the cooling system has been applied. Upper and lower flexible hose sections 3 and 4 connect the water jacket of the motor with the radiator and provide for the circulation of a 15 liquid cooling medium from one to the other. This mechanism is of the type generally em- ..ployed in motor vehicles and a more detailed description thereof is believed to be unnecessary.

Secured to the front wall of the motor 2 is a go metallic casting 5 which constitutes the .water pump housing. This housing is formed with a tubular projection 6 to which is connected one end of the lower hose leading from the radiator. Provided also in connection with the housing 5 u is a forwardly disposed bracket 1 forming a bearing to rotatably support the water pump and fan shaft 3. The it s of the housing 5 in registration with the hearing if is provided with an apertured boss t to receive the inner portion of the shaft 0 and function as a second bearing therefor, the boss 9 including a packed gland ii to prevent the escape of cooling medium around the shaft.- The outer end of the shaft 8 has joined thereto by means of screw threads ii, a hollow, substantlally cylindrical body i2 which forms the hub of the air circulating fan designated in its entirety by the numeral it Adjacent the rear end of the hub, the same is provided with an annular groove to receive an endless driving belt 49 ll used to impart rotation to the fan from the cranlr shaft, (not shown) oi. the motor. The continuous outer wall of the hub is formed to include a plurality of radiating bosses i5, each having a central bore it in registration with the axial center of the hub.

as at 20 to non-rotatably receive a gear segment 2|, the inner extremity of the shafts being threaded and provided with nuts 22 to hold the segments 2| in place on the shafts. These latter two elements also serve to resist the outward movement of the blades in trifugal force. r

The teeth of the segments 2| are disposed in meshing engagement with a bevel gear 23. This gearis secured by a nut 24 to the outer portion of a rod 25 rotatably positioned in a bore extending axially of the shaft 8. It will be apparent at this point that rotary movement on the part of the gear 23 will result in similar movement being transmitted to the blades l8 by means of the seg ments 2|. This movement of the blades will change the pitch thereof and alter the volume of air circulated by the fan. In some instances, the pitch may be reduced to such a degree that no air is circulated and at times of severe drops in temperature, the pitch may be reversed to cause warmer 'air from around the engine to pass through the radiator.

It .has been found desirable to control the pitch of the fan blades by the temperature of the air passing through a portion of the radiator and to this end, the hub is provided with a forwardly extending cap 2'6. A thermostat 21, of the collapsible bellows type in this instance, has one end rigidly secured to the inner side of the forward wall of the cap 26. The free end of the thermostat includes a tubular member 28 which is loosely positioned on the reduced end of the rod'25 to limit the movement of the thermostat to but a single plane. Pivotally secured at one end to the free end of the thermostat is a pair of links 29, the opposite ends thereof being connected as at 30' to one branch of a pair of bell crank levers 3|. The levers are pivotally supported 0 opposite sides of the hub in brackets 32 secure thereto by screws 33. The second branches of the levers 3i are joined by means of the universal connections 34 with the gear 23. By this mechanism, back and forth movement on the part of the free -end of the thermostat is transformed into rotary movement on the part of the gear 23 and will be transmitted to the blades by the segments as before mentioned.

The portion of the radiator selected as the most desirable to control the fan is the lower portion. This selection was made since it is readily recognized that the water is at its lowest temperature when in this location. Frequently in cold weather, the water in this region is at a very low temperature, sometimes frozen, while that in the water jacket may be at the boiling point. The temperature of this air will be similar to that of the water at this point whether the latter is hot or cold. When these conditions prevail, many of the. antifreeze compounds will boil out and be wasted. Therefore a combined air collector and conduit member 35 is provided to conduct air which passes through thelower portion of the radiator to the location of the thermostat. The member 35 includes a transversely extending branch 33 to the center of which is connected a vertical branch 31. The former is closed on its bottom, top and back walls and the open front wall is held adjacent the back of the radiator. The vertical branch is tubular in form and communicates at its lower end with the interior of the horizontal branch. The top end of the branch 31 terminates in a rearwardly facing oriening 31a from out of which the fan will draw response to the cenphere is low. As

air. The member 35 is secured to the radiator by means of long slender bolts 35a.

Substantially midway of its height, the branch 31 is provided with a cup-like enlargement 38 to receive the cap and theremostat carried by the fan hub. The front wall of the cap has an opening 33 formed therein to admit air to the interior thereof while the side wall has an opening 40 to permit the escape of the air entering the opening 39. The edges of the openings are flared in such a manner as to force a certain amount of air therethrough to provide a continuous circulation of air around the thermostat while the engine is running.

It has also been found desirable to modify the circulation of water when drastic changes in the weather and changes in temperature incident to operating the engine occur. To provide for these changes in water circulation, the inner end of the shaft 8 rigidly receives the body 4| of the water pump impeller. This body is also hollow and is provided with a plurality of transversely extending branches 42 which rotatably support the shanks 43 of impeller vanes 44. Packing nuts 45 are provided around the vane shanks 43 to prevent the seepage of cooling fluid into the interior of the body 4|. The inner end of each of the shanks 43 has a bevel pinion 46 secured thereto which is arranged in meshing engagement with a similar pinion 41 secured to the inner end of the rod 25. It will be seen that as the thermostat imparts rotary movement to the'gear 23, as before described, similar movement will be transmitted by the rod 25 to the pinion 41 and consequently to the vanes by the pinions 46. This movement will vary the pitch of the vanes and thereby cause a faster or slower circulation of cooling medium through the radiator and water I jacket.

The rear open end of the impeller body has internal threads 48 formed therein to receive the thread portion of a cap 49., The chamber within the body H can be packed with a semisolid lubricant and the cap put in place before the water pump and fan is installed. This lubricant should be sufilcientto last for the ordinary life of the vehicle.

The changes in the pitch of the impeller vanes occur simultaneously with those of the fan blade and are in substantially the same proportion. The mechanism herein set forth provides means for improving the operation of the engine by decreasing the time period required for warming up the engine as well as reducing the volume. of air circulated when the temperature of the atmosdiagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 8, if the temperature should fall to a very low extreme, the pitch of the blades and water pump vanes is reversed to cause a reversal of the 1 direction of circulation of the air and water. The

latter is highly desirable when the cooling medium has commenced to freeze in the lower portion of the radiator.

While there has been shown and described, in its preferred form, apparatus for carrying out the present invention, it will be understood that numerous minor changes may be made in the mechanism without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims."

What is claimed is:

r 1. In a motor cooling system having a radiator. a fan shaft; a fan hub mounted on said shaft for rotation adjacent said radiator, a plurality of fan blades adjustably carried by said hub, therthe pitch of said blades,

mo-responsive mechanism carried by said hub, a water impeller body carried by said fan shaft for rotation therewith, vanes adiustably supported in connection with said impeller body, and motion transmitting means connecting said fan blades and said vanes with said thermo-responsive mechanism.

2. A combined air circulating fan and water impeller for engine cooling systems comprising a rotatably mounted tubular shaft, a fan hub secured to one end of said shaft, an impeller body secured to the opposite end of said shaft, a pinrality of fan blades pivotally mounted in conneclion with said hub, a thermostat supported by said hub, a second shaft extending through said tubular shaft, gear means carried at opposite ends of said second shaft, means for rotating said second shaft in response to movement on the part of said thermostat, vanes pivotally mounted on said impeller body, and pinions connecting said tan blades and saidvanes with the corresponding gears on said second shaft, 3

3. The combination with an engine cooling system having a radiator, a fan having variable pitch blades and thermostatic means for varying of means for collecting and conducting air which has passed through the lower portion oi said radiator to the region of said thermostatic means.

said hub, a second shaft extending through said 4. A combined air circulating tan and water impeller for engine cooling systems comprising a rotatably mounted tubular shaft,: a fan hub secured to one end of said shaft, an impeller body secured to the opposite end of said shaft, a plurality of fan bladespivotally mounted in conned-- tion with said hub, a thermostat supported by thereof in registration tubular shaft, gear means carried at opposite ends of said second shaft, means for rotating said second shaft in response to movement on the part of said thermostat, vanes pivotally mounted on said impeller body, pinions connecting said fan blades and said vanes with the corresponding gears on said second shaft, and means for conducting air from the lower portion of the radiator for said engine to the vicinity of said thermostat.

. 5. In amotor coolingsystem having a radiator in liquid communication with the motor, a rotattioned adjacent said radiator, thermo-responsive means for controlling the angularity of the fan lades, and an air conduit positioned at therear of said radiator, the inlet to said conduit being disposed in a position to receive air passing through the lower portion of said radiator, said thexmo-responsive means being disposed in said conduit, to be intimately engaged by air passing therethrough.

6. In a motor cooling system having a radiator in liquid communication with the motor, a rotatable fan having angularly adjustable bladesposltioned adjacent said radiator, thermo-responsive means for controlling the angularity of the fan blades, an air conduit positioned with the inlet with a restricted portion of the radiatorat the lower end thereof, the outlet of said conduit being in registration with outer portion of said fan blades, said thermoresponsive means being disposed in said conduit between the inlet and outlet to be intimately contacted by air p through said conduit.

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able fan having angularly adjustable blades posithe v 

